Roy Huggins' original 1960s TV series gets reinvented for the big screen, with engaging results. The premise is that an esteemed vascular surgeon, Richard Kimble (Harrison Ford), is tried and convicted for the murder of his wife Helen (Sela Ward, in a pretty thankless role), despite his claims that he'd tussled with the REAL killer, a one-armed man (Andreas Katsulas). On his way to prison, Kimble seizes a chance to escape, and takes it on the lam. Naturally, he's determined to solve the crime, but almost always manages to stay one step ahead of the equally determined Federal marshal (Tommy Lee Jones) on his trail.While the story is not a great one (and won't bear a lot of scrutiny), it's still a solidly entertaining one. Director Andrew Davis ("Code of Silence", "Under Siege") does a masterful job of directing this chase thriller, guiding us towards some pretty impressive set pieces, such as an amazing bus crash / train wreck, and a VERY long dive off of a dam. Davis and company hit the ground running, and even though their film runs two hours and 11 minutes, the pacing never drags. Every scene serves a purpose, and commands ones' attention. Great music by James Newton Howard and superb location shooting in Chicago are all part of the slick and stylish package.Of course, one of the most compelling facets to the film is the cat and mouse game between two very strong personalities, and both Ford and the Oscar winning Jones are extremely well cast. Not all of the supporting actors & actresses get a lot to do (Julianne Moore is only around for one section of the story), but the other roles are also nicely cast: Joe Pantoliano, Jeroen Krabbe (in a role originally intended for the late Richard Jordan), Daniel Roebuck, L. Scott Caldwell, Tom Wood, Ron Dean, real life Chicago cop Joe Kosala, etc. Jane Lynch can be seen in one of her earliest film roles."The Fugitive" holds up pretty well almost 25 years later. It's just good, straightforward entertainment all around.Eight out of 10.

"The Fugitive" is a first-rate action-packed thriller. Indeed, no matter how deep your involvement in story is, no matter how familiar you're with the original 60's TV series, or how much you appreciate the action genre, there is not a way not to enjoy it. In fact, this paragraph should be enough… unless you're not convinced, then you can read what follows.Directed by Andrew Davis whose "Under Siege" met with surprising critical acclaim (one of the few Steven Seagal movies to achieve this stunt), the film stars Harrison Ford as the ill-fated Dr. Richard Kimble, trying to find out the mysterious one-armed man who killed his wife, while escaping from the Law, incarnated by his nemesis US. Marshall Deputy Gerard played by Tommy Lee Jones. Jones was the villain in "Under Siege" but this time, it's another form of antagonism he embodies, he is a roller-coaster of a man who won't tolerate any fugitive to slip through his net. It's not even personal, this is man who wants the job done and that's perhaps enough a reason to root for him while empathizing with Kimble. Why, that's a nice way to put it.It all leads to the most famous and parodied moment of the film : the early encounter between the two men at the edge of a storm drain over a huge dam, Kimble tells Gerard: "I didn't kill my wife" and Gerard's answer is "I don't care". Whatever Kimble did is irrelevant, that's what makes his situation tricky. He sees himself as an innocent man, people see him as a fugitive. He's got one enemy to find, but for the moment, he's like the public enemy number one. This moment seals the real confrontation between two men: one represents the Law and according to the Law, Kimble was convicted, and one cannot escape the Law. Kimble represents justice, justice for his wife, and for his own life's sake, he's the only reason one could escape from the law: self-defense. And only for that reason, would a man plunge into raging waters, it's not your usual nihilistic escape, it's a race around the clock between two men who know what they want.The point of this comparison is to highlight why these men happen to be 'enemies' on the surface but as Kimble finds the path of the one-armed man and Gerard follows his footsteps, there's something evolving in his attitude and the wisecracks displayed through the film vanish in favor of a growing respect toward his target and the realization that Law and Justice can make one; it's something in the same vein than "The Defiant Ones", with Sidney Poitier and Tony Curtis, movies that are entertaining but respecting viewer's intelligence and not succumbing to Manichaeism. And the power of Jones' Oscar-winning performance was to evolve to that point where we, viewers, wait for that moment where he starts to care, we never pinpoint it exactly but we can tell it from his acting, this is how great he is without forcing himself.Both Kimble and Jones are smart and competent and that's another force. In most movies, the hero easily outsmarts the villain but this time, like in a chess game, Gerard knows how to anticipate or follow the moves and the 'how he does it' is even more captivating, which creates countless situations similar to the dam one, where Kimble can slip from the Police's hands within a nick of time. No matter how often this happens, there is an attention for detail, for chronology, for simultaneity of events that leaves nothing for hazard, this is a meticulously edited movie that doesn't rely on luck. There's a moment where Kimble, passing as a janitor, prints a document of the people who repaired their prosthetic arms shortly after the murder, and to cover the buzzing sound of the printer, he pretends to be dusting the Venetian blinds. This detail reminded me of J.J. Gittes in "Chinatown" coughing loudly while he was ripping an important piece of evidence.The film works on many levels, it's a cat-and-mouse thriller served by a heart-pounding score from James Newton-Howard whose main movement works without even watching the film. The term is hackneyed but it's also character-study in the sense that you can tell how the perception toward a man changes while the chase moves forward, it's just as if Kimble needs time to get closer to his innocence as something suspected then perceived by his chasers. The film also affords the luxury of a higher scheme involving the wife's murder. And maybe there's something in the tradition of Hitchcock's movie with the eternal theme of the wrongfully accused man, who doesn't just escape for freedom but to prove his innocence, for justice. Kimble needs to find the one-armed man, maybe less to prove his innocence but to avenge his wife. Gerard being the law, will also realize that something must be done on that matter.I've often been critical about Jones' Oscar win for that role but maybe I'd reconsider my opinion. I like the duality he forms with Kimble, for one, it's personal, for the other, it's only his job. 1993 was a pretty good year for intelligent thrillers, with films like "The Fugitive" and "In the Line of Fire". This one was nominated for many Oscars, including Best Picture, it is not your usual action movie, and it finds a way to reinvent the archetypes and stay original within a rather conventional plot. This is not just a school case of from TV to movies adaptation, it's one terrific action movie, about men doing what they think they must do and doing it damn well, the film oozes quality in every inch of celluloid.

When I first watched "The Fugitive" as a teenager, I remember thinking how great of a movie it was at the time. Having not seen it for a number of years, though, a repeat viewing recently showed me that it wasn't the classic that I remembered.For a basic plot summary, this movie tells the story of Richard Kimball (Harrison Ford), a man falsely convicted of murdering his wife. He claims that a one-armed attacker inside his home was the real culprit. During a prisoner transfer, Kimball manages to escape his custody and begin the search for the one-armed man. Hot on his heels, though, is U.S. Marshal Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones)."The Fugitive" is not a bad movie by any stretch of the imagination. It has a decent plot, some decent adventure, and some good actors. Yet, that is part of the problem...there are too many flaws for the entire experience to ever crest that "decent" mark.It is clear that this movie was made as a star vehicle for Ford and little more. His performance is solid as Kimball, but even then his character is not given enough real meaty scenes/dialogue to stand out. We needed to know more about Kimball's past and his relationship with his now- deceased spouse in order to truly care.Two other things in this movie really bugged me:1. The whole experience could have been much more of an intriguing mystery had the producers/writers left some doubt as to what actually happened to Mrs. Kimball. Instead, it is clear early one that Ford's character is telling the truth.2. For me, at least, what kept me watching for most of the movie was that anticipated moment where Kimball would find the one-armed man and the showdown would commence. I won't completely ruin the ending for you, but suffice it to say that it is more than a bit of a letdown.Overall, then, I put "The Fugitive" about on par with another Ford film, "Witness". Both movies are decent at what they do (so three stars), but neither pushes itself onto that "next level".

Most of us remember David Jansen as the fugitive, Richard Kimble. Every episode was another hiding place, another near escape. Barry Morse's Gerard was tireless, obsessed. So now we have Harrison Ford, whose facial expressions of pain and anguish are priceless. He is the perfect victim of a crime he did not commit. He is formidable, like Indiana Jones, but always looking over his shoulder. Tommy Lee Jones as Gerard has that itch he needs to scratch. He is utterly determined to get Kimble. He continually puts himself in danger, risking his life for his cause. He is like Javert in "Les Miserable," where the job supersedes all else. The close calls and the gyrations Gerard must perform to continue his pursuit are almost superhuman. Kimble is left with only one option. He must find the one-armed man and prove he committed the murder. This is a marvelous adventure film which should appeal to nearly every taste.